Electronic SMART cards are widely used in a range of scenarios including, for example, in mobile phones, and on commercial vehicles to verify driver information and vehicle usage information such as maximum speed for example.
Police Forces regularly come into contact with electronic SMART cards as part of their day-to-day police work. For example, mobile phone usage has reached a relatively high level in many countries with a relatively high number of adult citizens carrying and using a mobile phone handset on a regular basis. The Police have progressively realised the value and significance of the evidential data potentially held within the electronics of SMART cards.
As with all information gathered by the Police, the quality and integrity of the data must be absolute and to this end the term ‘forensic evidence’ is commonly used to describe any information or data that has been obtained and interpreted by the Police for the purposes of establishing evidence.
To ensure that any data gathered by the Police can be regarded as forensic evidence, there is an ongoing requirement for tools and equipment that can be used to acquire information in a reliable, non-invasive and non-destructive way, and where the potential for data modification whether intentional or otherwise is kept to a minimum.